Voodoo Doughnut, Portland

Ever since my last visit to Portland, I have dreamed of Voodoo Doughnut's vegan doughnuts.  Only Mighty-O Donut in Seattle has ever rivaled Voodoo in terms of vegan doughnut deliciousness. (I should mention that I have not yet been to Dun-Well Doughnuts in NYC--soon!) There is just something exciting about being part of the donut craze here. Voodoo is open 24/7 and at nearly any time of the day, there is a line to get in. Why? Some may call it hype while others call it good donuts. Either way, it generates a stir and makes people even want them more. You can't help but notice the iconic pink box being carried by people all over the city.

So we decided to go to Voodoo Doughnut that is less busy, Voodoo Doughnut Too, outside of the downtown area. And on this Tuesday in the afternoon, it appeared we hit the jackpot. No line! Last time I came here, I waited like an hour for a donut. I was so excited.

When you go inside, you see the spinning trays of beautiful donuts. The top tray is all vegan and features at least 20 varieties. It is overwhelming. While it has become easier to get vegan cake donuts with several Whole Foods now producing them in house, it is not as easy to get the yeast-based donuts.

Interestingly enough, the lady who worked there said that the donut itself is the only thing that is different between the vegan and non-vegan varieties meaning that the cream and frosting they use on all of the donuts is vegan. The vegan donuts use soy and egg-replacer instead of dairy and eggs in the donut itself and that is the only difference. Interesting.

I decided to try both the yeast- and cake-based varieties so I went with a plain glazed donut and a chocolate cake donut.  I just chose simple flavors, but if you want to go all out, they have donuts with cookies and cream, fruit loops, sprinkles, triple chocolate penetration with coco-puffs, and so much more.

So the first one, the chocolate cake donut, was a fine donut. It seemed to get better as it melted in the car as I liked the way it tasted later on in the day.

I was most impressed with the glazed donut as it had been a while since I had had one and it was just as good as I remember glazed donuts being. This donut rocked my world.

My friend, Corey, did something really interesting in that he chose the chocolate cream-filled donut in vegan and non-vegan varieties and tried to determine which was which. He ended up choosing incorrectly! He thought the vegan donut was creamier and richer than the non-vegan donut and thought it was the one with real cream! (This was before we found out that the cream used in both is the same.) How funny is that?!

Before I left, I used the restroom and was disturbed by the creepy donut monster that lurked inside. Beware.

Oh, Voodoo, you always rock my world. Please let me know when you decide to open a shop in DC. Better yet, stay over there. I'm not sure I could deal with you being so close. Keep rockin'. And remember, the magic is in the hole. Till next time.

Voodoo Doughnut Too
1501 NE Davis St.
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 241-4704